Commonly, a fuel processor is often designed specifically for a given fuel cell stack based on the fuel cell's power performance, size and hydrogen fuel consumption requirements. As such, it can only be integrated with a given cell stack. The fuel processor is also a separate device, thermally and fluidically, and requires substantial fluidic and gaseous manifolding and thermal insulation, which adds to the fuel cell system volume and mass. In addition, some fuel cell stack designs rely on a separate device (such as a stack burner) to assist the stack in achieving operation temperatures.
A fuel cell system electrochemically combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electrical energy. A reformed hydrogen supply processes a fuel source to produce hydrogen. The fuel source acts as a hydrogen carrier. Currently available hydrocarbon fuel sources include methanol, ethanol, gasoline, propane and natural gas. The reaction in the fuel processor should be carried out under controlled temperatures to improve the performance of the processor by preventing hot and cold spots, efficiently convert the hydrocarbon fuel source to hydrogen, and preserve the integrity of the catalyst in the catalytic chamber. Thermal inefficiencies in a fuel cell system wastes energy and undesirably requires more fuel to be consumed and carried.